Tag Archives: Herodotus

I promised to write this article a long time ago, and I’m very happy to see it published. Legend of Galactic Heroes has garnered many fans throughout its three decades of existence. (The OVA itself needed nearly a decade to complete: 1988-1997.) Part of the charm of this series is that it asks an eternal question: what is the best form of government? Monarchy, aristocracy, or democracy? The dress and cultures of our heroes reminds us of the First World War, and we recall that great cataclysm in the obscene casualty levels of each interstellar battle. Yet, does the Empire really represent the Second Reich and the Free Planets Alliance the Allies?

The question on the best form of government has its antecedent far before World War I: Herodotus’ Histories contains a scene where Persians debate over the best form of government for themselves. In the end, they decide on monarchy, since they argue that aristocracy and democracy are too unstable. They say that the natural course of affairs is for one person to gain all political power anyway; so, they might as well establish a monarchy!